A/N: I love the feedback! Continue to suggest scenarios and I will try to incorporate them. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, even though it's different than what I've done earlier in the story. Enjoy!

"What do you mean you can't go to Hogsmeade this weekend! It's Valentine's Day!" Cho said, her expression one of anger.

"I told you, Sirius punished me, but it's my fault. I made a mistake… it's okay though." Harry said with a shrug, not really understanding what the big deal was. In truth, he wasn't really that upset about his "punishment." He'd gotten a lecture from Sirius and was told he couldn't go to Hogsmeade this coming weekend, but there would be other village dates throughout the rest of the year. He was sure there'd be one in March that Cho and him could go together for. Besides, Sirius said he'd keep him company this weekend while his friends went to Hogsmeade, which in Harry's opinion, wasn't a punishment anymore. He loved spending time with his father.

"It is not okay!" Cho exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Everyone will be with their boyfriends that day, I'm supposed to just go by myself?"

Harry frowned but shrugged again. "Well, I'm sorry. I can't do anything about it, Sirius won't just change his mind."

"You are such a daddy's boy!" Cho yelled angrily. Harry was taken aback; Malfoy had said that to him before, but he just thought he was trying to get under his skin. He didn't think any of the other students actually thought of him this way. Before Harry could retort, Cho started up again, this time louder. "You'd do anything for your precious daddy, wouldn't you? You're like a child, you just don't think about anything else besides what daddy and you are going to do together!"

"Stop it!" Harry yelled back, horrified. They had been sitting outside and half of the students nearby had walked up to watch the scene unfold.

"No, it's true!" Cho yelled, not noticing all the people that were standing around them. "Ickle baby Potter loves his daddy more than his girlfriend! If that's the way you're going to be, I'm done with this!"

Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw professors walking over, surely to stop the scene, but he didn't want to stick around either way. Sirius was probably with them and the last thing he needed was his "daddy" to come to his rescue. He stormed off, pushing a couple of first years out of the way to get back to his common room.

He heard Sirius yell his name after him but he walked away regardless, not wanting to talk to anyone at the moment, especially not his father.


"That girl was terrible, Moony. Saying those things in front of everyone, no wonder Harry wasn't in the Great Hall tonight. I'm worried about him though… he's avoided me since it happened. He stormed out of class today before I could say anything to him." Sirius said as he sat beside Remus on the couch.

"Kids can be terrible, Sirius, but it's not your fault. It will blow over by tomorrow, Harry's probably just embarrassed and doesn't want to talk about it." Remus said, frowning.

"I hope you're right… I'm sure he was humiliated, I would be if I was fourteen and being called a daddy's boy. It's ridiculous. I can't help but think he wouldn't have these problems if I didn't come to work here. He might have had a more peaceful year-" Sirius started, interrupted by Remus.

"Don't say that, Sirius. What would Harry do if you weren't here? He wouldn't have gotten past that dragon! You have supported him so much through this tournament, he needs you. Besides you're his guardian and you have the right to punish him, and he deserved it for walking out there with Krum. He even took responsibility for that. It will be okay." Remus said, patting Sirius's shoulder.


The day of the Hogsmeade trip came, but Harry didn't go to see Sirius like they had planned. The week had only gotten worse since his argument with Cho - the slytherins had affectionately given him the nickname of "daddy's boy" and made sure he heard it whenever they were around. To top off the other kid's taunting, Rita Skeeter, a terrible journalist that had been targeting Harry and the Hogwart's staff, wrote an article about how endearing it was that Harry had finally found a "daddy" to replace his deceased father. She included the fact that Harry "cried to Sirius every night" about his parents and how much he missed them, and his classmates had no trouble making fun of him for acting like a baby.

When Harry didn't show up to hang out with him that Saturday, Sirius began to worry. He had heard the taunts, but was advised by the other faculty to ignore it and let it pass. He, of course, had agreed - it would only embarrass Harry more to be defended by his father on that subject.

By dinner that evening, Sirius was worried sick. The students had returned from Hogsmeade, but there was still no sign of his son. Ron and Hermione had assured him that he did not sneak into Hogsmeade, and expressed their own concerns about him.

"He normally isn't this distant when people do this - he's been picked on before, I'm sure he's told you. For some reason this is bothering him worse than before." Hermione said with a frown.

Sirius nodded and walked on towards the staff table, hoping Harry would show up for dinner at some point. Remus had put a hand on Sirius's shoulder when he sat down and Sirius huffed. "He hates me, Moony."

"He does not, Sirius. He loves you, he's just embarrassed. He's avoiding you so people quit calling him a daddy's boy, that's all. Once they stop, he'll go back to his normal self. You just gotta think about it through his eyes - if he walked around the castle with you today, the people that were here would make a big deal out of it. It's not personal." Remus said with a sympathetic smile.

Sirius huffed again, then began to pick at his food. Regardless of the problem, Sirius was going to talk to his son in his class on Monday, even if he had to force him.


"Hey look! It's ickle baby Potter. Excited for daddy's class today?" Draco said, walking up to where Harry and his friends were waiting outside Sirius's charms room.

"Stuff it, Malfoy," Ron said, stepping in front of Harry.

"Awh, ickle baby can't even fight his own battles. Doesn't surprise me, he doesn't need to after all. Not with daddy here to protect h-" Before Draco could finish his sentence, Harry had lunged at him. Draco had been expecting it though, and both were punching and grabbing at one another - that is, until firm arms pulled them away from one another.

"What exactly do you two think you're doing?" Sirius exclaimed, clearly angry. Harry didn't cringe though - he gave Sirius the dirtiest look he could muster.

"Fifty points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin. Get inside, all of you. Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, both of you will receive a detention this week." Sirius said, pointing at the door. The truth was, Sirius didn't want to give Harry the detention. Sure, he shouldn't be fighting, but he couldn't really blame him. He had heard Malfoy's taunts, and they made his blood boil; however, as a professor, he couldn't be partial. If he had spared Harry, the rumors about him being a daddy's boy would have only gotten worse.

The class passed in a tense silence, despite the the exploding charms the students were practicing. Harry barely spoke to anyone and didn't even attempt at the charm throughout the double period.

As the students packed up, Sirius asked Harry to stay after in as strict of a voice as he could muster. He figured students would assume he was going to tell Harry off and not baby him, and he hoped this would help with the rumors as well.

When the last student had left, Sirius walked over to Harry's desk. Harry was looking away, not trying to meet his father's eyes. Sirius's heart clenched - he didn't understand why Harry was directing all his anger at him. "Harry, why are you avoiding me?"

Harry huffed, but didn't answer, clearly not wanting to be there.

"Look," Sirius started angrily, losing his patience. "I didn't want to give you the detention. You shouldn't be fighting but I can't blame you for it, not after what Malfoy was saying. But don't you think the rumors would get worse if I had let you off scot-free and punished Malfoy?"

"There wouldn't even be any rumors if you weren't here!" Harry exclaimed angrily, standing up. Sirius was taken aback. Did Harry really mean what he thought he meant?

"What… what do you mean?" Sirius asked, surprised at Harry's quick movement.

"If you hadn't started teaching! Nobody would say anything about me being a daddy's boy. I'd still be "the orphan" otherwise. To be honest, I'm kind of missing that right now." He added angrily, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

"You don't mean that," Sirius said quietly.

"Oh, I do. You aren't even my dad! You'll never be!" Harry yelled, storming out of the classroom. Sirius sat there for a second, shocked. Harry had never said he was bothered by Sirius's place as a father figure in his life - in fact, he had seemed to like it before. Sirius didn't think the rumors were that bad to cause Harry to be so angry, and he still didn't get why Harry was so angry at him. He moved back to his desk to grade papers, feeling the saddest he had since being in Azkaban. One of the terrible ideas that taunted him in his nightmares was actually coming true - Harry hated him.


"It's practically been two weeks Moony!" Sirius exclaimed the next Saturday. "He won't even look at me. I haven't done anything other than be there for him and he hates me!"

"Sirius," Remus said, encouraging him to sit down near him in front of the lake. "Harry doesn't hate you! I don't really know what his problem is, he's just a teenage boy that's angry and under a lot of stress with this tournament. He'll get over himself and realize he misses you. He probably already has realized it, to be completely honest. His ego mirrors that of James's sometimes, he just doesn't want to be taunted anymore."

"I think I have a solution," a gentle voice said from behind the two men.

"Professor Dumbledore," Remus said, turning around. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" Sirius also reluctantly turned around to face the headmaster.

"Sirius, the second task involves the champions diving into the lake and saving a hostage. To make the goal desirable, the hostages will be the person that the champion loves the most. Harry's person, of course, is you." Dumbledore said with a small smile.

Sirius looked surprised, "Harry hasn't talked to me in weeks, in case you haven't seen Dumbledore. I doubt he'd be that upset if I was taken hostage. Besides, wouldn't that make the kid's taunts worse? Harry has to save his father?"

"On the contrary, Harry loves you very much," Dumbledore started. "He would be devastated if he thought you were in danger and would go to great lengths to save you. That's why I think you should be his hostage. The kids taunts are only part of the problem. Harry needs to realize how much he loves you for him to get over this, and this is the best way for him to discover that. Not to mention, maybe it will help him realize that the things the other kids are saying don't matter - what matters most to him is family and love. It always has been that way, he just needs to be reminded. Of course, I won't force you to do it, I'm sure he'd be equally as willing to save Mr. Weasley. I just thought that this might help the situation."

Dumbledore smiled at Sirius and Sirius huffed. "If you really think it will make a difference, I'll do it. I just hope he has a change of heart after it happens. Does he even know what the second task is? Last time I talked to him, he hadn't even figured out the clue."

"Ah, I think he has. I believe Mr. Diggory felt himself in Harry's debt for the dragon clue and helped him out." Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling. "Also, let me reassure you that you won't be in any danger with this task. The mermen will return you if your champion fails to complete the task; however, I have a feeling Harry would sacrifice himself before he failed this task."

With that, Dumbledore took his leave and Sirius sat back down at the lake's shore. "I hope this works," he mumbled to Remus.

"I think Dumbledore's right, Sirius. Harry just needs to realize how much you mean to him for him to look past his injured ego. It might not help the taunts, but it will help Harry and you, and that's what matters." Remus said, smiling at his friend before throwing a rock into the lake, only to have it thrown back at him by the giant squid.


It was the night before the second task and Harry was completely lost. He had taken Cedric's advice and uncovered the merpeople's warning in the egg by listening to it underwater. Since then, he'd been in the library trying to discover a way to breathe underwater for an hour, although he had to admit, he didn't know what to expect. The merpeople had taken something from him according to the egg, but he honestly didn't know what they would have stolen that would mean so much to him. His firebolt? Sure, he didn't want to lose that at all, but he wouldn't be completely devastated he supposed. He shrugged after scanning his eighth book of the evening and then turned to Ron and Hermione.

"Have you guys found anything?" He asked hopefully, beginning to worry that he would make a fool of himself.

Hermione shook her head. "Nothing - I mean, there's the bubblehead charm, but really we can't help you learn that. Maybe if you talked to Sirius, since he is the charms professor-"

"I'm not talking to Sirius," Harry said, cutting her off. "I don't need my precious daddy's help with this, I can do it on my own."

"Harry, you don't mean that. Remember how much he helped you for the last task? You'd really rather look like a fool than make amends? It's not his fault you know, he didn't start the taunting. All he did was show you some affection throughout the year, which most fathers do anyway." Hermione pointed out angrily.

"Yeah mate, everyone's being completely unfair with you. I'd be lying if I said my dad didn't hug me everyday. I love hanging out with him, it's not abnormal for you to want to spend time with Sirius. Cho's just being a bit-"

"Ron," Hermione warned before turning back to Harry. "You should just go talk to him, Harry."

Harry bit his lip and looked down. "I mean, I miss him a lot and I know he would help me… I feel so guilty. I was a prat last time we talked, but I know it's not his fault. I've just been so angry and confused about this entire tournament and about Rita Skeeter and Cho breaking up with me. It was easy to blame him for it, I didn't mean to hurt him. He probably doesn't even want to speak to me."

"Oh, Harry, Sirius loves you. You know he does. Come on, lets go-"

"OUT!" Madam Pince yelled at the three, interrupting Hermione. "You're being far too loud and it's past curfew. The library's closing, get out."

"I haven't figured out-" Harry started before being interrupted by Madam Pince's glare.

"I don't care, laddie, you've had your chance. OUT!"


Harry ignored Hermione's advice to ask Sirius for help, feeling as if he didn't deserve his father's help for the way he treated him. He'd talk to him after he humiliated himself in the task and ask to be forgiven.

The next morning came early and Harry was awoken by Dobby apparating on top of him. "Mr. Harry Potter Sir! Dobby is here to help, you must go save your Siri!"

Ron shot out of bed at the strange sound coming from Harry's four poster, then glanced at the clock. "Harry, we're late! We overslept, you're going to miss the task!"

As if on cue, Hermione came running into the room. "Harry! What are you doing, you've got to get to the lake!"

"What does it matter," Harry groaned, getting out of bed regardless. "I don't have a way to breathe underwater." Then, as if realizing what Dobby had told him, Harry turned around. "Wait, Dobby, what did you mean I have to save my Siri?"

"The merpeople have taken your Siri, Sir! You've got to save him from them. I got you some Gillyweed, if you eat it you can breathe underwater for the entire time."

The information sent Harry into action. "THEY'VE TAKEN SIRIUS. THEY'RE GOING TO DROWN HIM IF I DON'T GET TO HIM." He exclaimed, tripping over himself in an attempt to get dressed. "THANKS DOBBY!" He yelled before bolting out of the room and running to the lake, Ron and Hermione at his heels.

When they got there, Harry met McGonagall. "Good, Potter! I was worried you weren't going to show up. Come on, over here." She lined him up beside the other three champions and Harry stared down at the ominous water. He had never really learned to swim well at the Dursleys, so he hoped this Gillyweed would work.

At the sound of Ludo Bagman's voice, the champions cast their spells and jumped in, Harry the last to join after consuming the plant. He felt a weird sensation in his neck and extremities. Once the sensation disappeared, Harry realized that he could breathe underwater because gills had appeared on his neck. His hands and feet had webbed up so he could swim better. He smiled, internally thanking Dobby for helping him, before setting off into the dark depths of the lake.

He swam for what felt like hours, unsure if he was going the correct way. He didn't meet any trouble in the lake, which surprised him more. Surely the task wasn't this easy?

As if on cue, Harry felt a strong tug on his leg. He turned to find a grindylow pulling him under. He acted immediately, using his wand to stun the pesky creature, before continuing on. After a few more minutes, Harry reached a group of caves with merpeople standing around it. He eyed them apprehensively, then, realizing that they weren't going to attack him, sped along at full force to find Sirius.

He came upon a giant archway, which had four hostages attached to it. He immediately located Sirius tied to the top of it, seemingly unconscious. Harry's heart jolted - he couldn't be dead yet, could he? As he passed the other hostages, he noticed Cho was there, and Harry was curious as to who her champion was. One of the other hostages was a young girl that looked exactly like Fleur - presumably her sister. The final hostage was an older lady that looked of a different ethnicity, which Harry thought to be Victor's mother. He was immensely glad he wasn't the only one with a parent taken as a hostage - maybe he could use that as an excuse if the taunting continued after the task.

He felt an immediate twinge of guilt for thinking about his classmate's name-calling again. That didn't matter, he had to save his father, whom he loved more than anything. Who cares if people made fun of him? He had his Siri, and that's all he needed - or he hoped he still had him.

Once he reached Sirius, he checked for a pulse, immediately relieved when he felt one. He swam down to grab a sharp rock and cut the ropes off Sirius. His father continued to float limply. He turned and looked out at the empty waters, and worried. Surely it had almost been an hour? Where were the other champions? After waiting a few more minutes, Harry turned to break Cho's ropes, only to be pushed away by a merperson. "She's my friend too!" Harry tried to say, though his speech ended up being full of bubbles.

"Only one!" The merperson rasped out. Harry looked back at Sirius, who appeared now to be sleeping peacefully. Harry couldn't just leave them all there, where were the other champions?

He waited around, and soon Victor came swimming down; he had transfigured his head to appear like a shark. He helped the older lady out of her ropes and swam away, back up to the surface.

None of the other hostages showed up and Harry was starting to worry. He couldn't leave Cho and the little girl. He made a quick decision, and hacked off the two girls ropes, despite the resistance from the merpeople. He grabbed both girls by the arm and swam them to the top of the lake, pushing them upward so they'd float to the surface. Then, swimming with extreme agility, he returned to the merpeople and grabbed Sirius, refusing to leave his father behind.

Halfway back to the top of the lake, he felt a burning sensation in his neck. He realized the Gillyweed was going to stop working. He felt his hands and feet returning to normal and he paddled harder; when he had almost broken the surface of the water, he felt a tug on his leg and looked down to find a grindylow. With the last bit of strength he had, he pushed his father up to the top of the water and attempted to yank himself from the creature's grasp.

He pulled hard but he couldn't do it. He couldn't breathe, his lungs were on fire and his entire body was freezing. The February water was finally attacking his system, and he realized he wasn't going to make it. Then, he felt strong arms wrap around him and pull him up to the surface of the water. Once above the surface, he met Sirius's smiling face before blacking out entirely.


"-too heroic for his own good," Harry heard faintly. The voice held laughter in it, but Harry didn't quite recognize it.

Another voice, a girl's, responded, "I'm zo thankful, he zaved my zister!"

Then another girl's voice, "And me. I can't believe he'd save me after the way I treated him…"

"-saved almost every hostage down there, I'm so proud of him." The last voice Harry recognized to be his father. Wanting more than anything to speak to him, he willed his eyes to open. He realized he was still outside at the lake, but he was wrapped in four blankets and lying down on the ground. Hermione, Ron, Sirius, and Remus, were directly around him and Cho, Cedric, and Fleur were standing off nearby.

"What…" Harry started, before going into a coughing fit.

"Shh, Harry don't talk. The task is over, you saved three of the hostages. The judges gave you a full fifty points even though you were out of the time limit." Sirius explained, smiling down at his son. "You're in first place."

He helped Harry into a sitting position. "Really?" Harry rasped out, surprised. "But I almost drowned, you helped me."

"I think they made an exception for that," Sirius said chuckling. "You showed a lot of morale fiber by not only getting your own hostage, but two others when you realized their champions weren't coming. Especially since you got down there first. The merpeople told the judges what happened. James and Lily would be so proud of you…" Sirius hesitated for a moment before adding, "I'm so proud of you."

Sirius looked as if he wanted to hug Harry, but didn't want to embarrass him. Harry didn't let him make the decision because he lunged at him after he finished his sentence, hugging him and apologizing for the way he had acted. Sirius chuckled and hugged Harry to his chest, stroking his wet hair, while Remus, Hermione, and Ron smiled at the two.

The moment, however, was short-lived, because Cho interrupted them. "Harry…" She started, walking up to the group. Harry flushed and looked away, not wanting her to ruin the moment for him.

"I just… why did you save me? After the way I treated you? I shouldn't have, I was horrible to you. I told Rita Skeeter what happened and she publicly humiliated you. I shouldn't have called you a daddy's boy-"

Harry cut her off immediately, not wanting to listen to what she was saying. "Don't bother apologizing, that's not an insult. My dad's great." He turned back to Sirius, who had frozen at Harry actually calling him dad for the first time, but had a smile on his face nonetheless. Cho walked away, confused, and Sirius pulled Harry back into a hug, both of them feeling the happiest they had in weeks.

Ron, Hermione, and Remus walked away to give them a moment. After being embraced for a few minutes, Harry mumbled "I love you, dad." Sirius felt his heart swell up at the words and was so thankful Harry had finally stopped avoiding him. He pulled him closer to his chest and whispered, "I love you too, pup."

In the days after the task, Harry followed Sirius around as often as possible, wanting to make up for lost time and simultaneously ensure that no one else tried to take his father hostage. Sirius didn't mind this in the least, and welcomed his son's attention. He informed Harry about the rest of the second task, like how Cedric and Fleur had both gotten attacked by Grindylows and were taken out of the task. He also told him time and time again how proud he was of his actions in the task. Harry was on top of the world, and he was so happy to have his father back in his life that he completely ignored any of the remaining taunts the Slytherins threw out. After all, to him, being a daddy's boy was the biggest compliment he could receive.